Having already written about the new TSA scanners and pat-downs twice this week, I’ll keep this brief. However, a number of other serious concerns have been raised that I think need to be considered:

The new pat-down procedure could be extremely painful and embarrassing for someone who has had any kind of breast surgery and particularly for breast cancer victims.

Ditto for men who have had prostrate or testicular surgery.

The groping pat-downs could be a major trigger for anyone who has ever been physically assaulted, especially sexual abuse victims.

They could be very uncomfortable for pregnant women who certainly will not want to be exposed to radiation from the scanners.

A given dose of radiation has a much greater impact on a small child than an adult.

There are already videos of TSA personnel roughly searching children. Traumatizing children in this manner should never be acceptable.

Bottom line, we really don’t need to worry about terrorists anymore. We are terrorizing ourselves.

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Okay, forget the promise of brevity, this is an excellent comment on the issue of triggering for sexual assault victims:

A woman who has been sexually victimized through molestation and rape is more likely to have triggers, flashbacks, and panic attacks of the incident ensuing from words, images, and actions that remind her that her body is no longer sacred. For a rape victim, an enhanced pat down from a stranger in public may come with emotional consequences for her, altering a simple flight to an incident of victimization.

We all may be unsuspecting victims to the delight of certain security personnel. According to Peter Bacqué of WSLS 10 News in Roanoke, VA, TSA ordered Richmond airport to give the highest level of security clearance to a convicted felon even after he was cited for falsifying his employment application.

And as this post points out, there is a lot of concern about the policy in trans communities.

Finally, check out this mashup video of incident after incident after incident of abuse being committed by TSA agents.

I am OUTRAGED (and I don’t use that word often) by these sexual-assault procedures. John Pistole, who heads the TSA, recently told a Congressional committee that anybody who objected shouldn’t fly. In other words, “You don’t like it, drop dead.” I am taking him at his word, and today I am emailing all the airlines I have ever flown with to tell them that I WILL NOT FLY AGAIN as long as these procedures remain in place. If the airlines can be made to realize that their profits are threatened, they might just join the pilots’ union and oppose this gross and blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Anybody want to join me? It’s easy enough to email the airlines; they’re all on Google.